Speedleague bringing electric rallycross this season

Speedleague will be electric-powered, with a 670 horsepower (500 kW) output in all-wheel drive with differential torque vectoring(Credit: Speedleague)

Speedleague has signed an engineering partnership with race supplier STARD to create a new electric rallycross series called E/Racing. The series will begin later this year with the start of the rallycross season, with five stops included in the North American circuit. The first race kicks off in October.

The five North American stops will include Los Angeles, New York City, and Las Vegas. The series expects to capitalize on the superior performance capabilities of electric-powered race cars in rallycross, with short and intense elimination heats on multi-surface tracks. Speedleague was founded by Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship creator Brian Gale.

The engineering expertise to make these electric racers possible comes from Stohl Advanced Research and Development (STARD). "The idea has intrigued me for years," says Speedleague CEO and President Brian Gale. "But until now, I haven't found a partner able to provide a comprehensive engineering solution for the race cars."

STARD, an Austrian firm, was formerly Manfred Stohl's Group race partner for World Rally Cross (WRX) and World Rally Championship (WRC). Stohl and STARD developed the Hiper MK1 electric rallycross development car, which will be the basis for the E/Racing vehicles.

For E/Racing, the Speedleague-STARD vehicles will be based on various production models made for existing Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) regulations. They will be electric-powered, however, with a 670 horsepower (500 kW) output in all-wheel drive with differential torque vectoring.

A proprietary battery swap system and conversion elements to allow rallycross, stage rally, and short-course road racing specifications swapping were also engineered for the series. Although not likely to be used this season, this swappable architecture that STARD has been developing will become crucial in future race developments to expand the audience and competition options for Speedleague.

Teams interested in participating in the E/Racing series will have lease or purchase options for the ready-to-run cars built by STARD. Teams are also allowed to use STARD components to build their own race vehicle.